U.S. News rates Rush, Northwestern among top hospitals in nation

Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern Memorial Hospital are among the top 22 hospitals in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report — an organization that has come under fire in recent months for its ratings systems.

Rush and Northwestern were the only Illinois hospitals to make the national list this year. U.S. News said the two hospitals tied for best in Illinois, with University of Chicago Medical Center coming in third in the state.

The ratings release follows criticism leveled at U.S. News over its ranking systems. In recent months, at least two hospital systems — the University of Pennsylvania Health System and St. Luke’s University Health Network — said they no longer wished to participate in the ratings, saying they don’t paint an accurate picture of hospitals’ quality.

U.S. News also ranks medical schools and law schools each year. Over the past year, a number of law and medical schools have also dropped out of U.S. News’ rating systems….